By Nick Pantages
Ontario Christian High School guard Kaleena Smith might be small in stature, but the 5-foot-6 sophomore has already made a big impact.
Smith, a 16-year-old who hails from Perris, Calif., which lies about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, made history in November by signing with Adidas as its first high school girls basketball NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) partner. She was also Adidas’ first signing under its new President of Women’s basketball, Candace Parker, who is a three-time WNBA Champion and two-time WNBA MVP.
“When I think about the future of women’s basketball, it’s clear it’s in good hands with hoopers like Kaleena,” Parker said.
Smith’s signing could open the door for other high school phenoms to ink notable NIL deals. When it came to picking a high school player to represent their brand, Smith stood out as a logical choice to Parker and Adidas. She is ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2027, according to ESPN, and was MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year following her stellar first campaign at Ontario Christian.
With that tag comes the pressure of being the hunted not the hunter, but Ontario Christian head coach Aundre Cummings believes Smith handles the pressure the right way.
“I think one of the biggest reasons is accountability,” Cummings said. “There’s going to be good games and bad games. I think with her holding herself to a certain level of accountability, but also being able to understand and adhere to accountability has helped her in her journey.”
The five-star prospect is the shortest player to be ranked first in ESPN’s recruiting rankings in 20 years, but she does not let her size define her impact on the court.
“I’m just trying to prove people wrong,” Smith told The Next. “A lot of people see my height and say ‘Oh she’s too small, she won’t make it to college. She already hit her ceiling.’ So really just having that mindset around proving people wrong, whether it’s scoring or getting [my teammates] involved, I feel like I’m different from everyone else.”
In fact, Smith actually believes that her height actually gives her an advantage in some ways.
“I would say there are plenty of advantages on defense,” Smith said. “Also being able to get to the rim, get around bigger guards, but also just having the heart of the biggest person on the court. It’s heart over height, to be honest.”
Smith can score from anywhere on the floor. She averaged a shade under 35 points per game last season – eclipsing the 1,000-point mark, a major accomplishment for many high school basketball players – in just her 31st career high school game.
Her elite shooting ability makes her a threat to score from the second she steps over half court and a smooth, dynamic handle allows her to drive to the rim and create shots in the mid-range area.
Smith also makes an impact in other ways. Being a scoring weapon helps free up her teammates for easy looks, and she is also a tenacious and aggressive defensive player.
Smith led Ontario Christian to a 28-5 record last season, and the Knights began this year with a 14-game winning streak. They were 17-1 and ranked No. 2 in the nationby MaxPreps as of Dec. 30.
Smith’s success is nothing new however. USA Today described her as a “basketball prodigy” back in 2017 when Smith was just 8 years old and competing against — and dominated — boys players in Southern California. That’s where Smith earned her nickname: Special K.
“When I was younger, I mostly played against boys until I reached high school,” Smith told The Next. “People would call me ‘Special’ and my nickname was ‘K,’ so my family and my old coach put it together.”
Smith received her first Division I college offer – from California Baptist – before she was even a teenager, and has also drawn interest from powerhouse schools like South Carolina, UConn, LSU, Baylor, Notre Dame, Tennessee and USC.
Some of this interest has spurned Smith to put in even more work, trying her hardest to showcase her skills to these elite programs.
“She’s getting to the point now where she wants to indulge, she wants to work,” Cummings said. “[In the past] we had to make her get in the weight room or the gym. But this year it has been different…It’s a special thing to see, because it’s not just the glamor and all the lights that people see. It’s a lot of stuff behind hidden doors that she has put in a lot of work to get to this point.”
The Spalding Hoophall Classic will provide another chance for Smith to shine on the national stage. Special K is taking the ever-brighter spotlight in stride.
“Around California people know me but my brand and my image have expanded more nationally over the last year,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m comfortable with it now… I love it.”
Photo by Braedan Shea/The Student